Fallen
by Claire Jones
Summary: [Post Series] Three part story following the return of Amon and Robin to Japan six months after the collapse of the factory. Part II edited and Part III uploaded.
1. Part I

!--disclaimer--!  
The following work is based off of the anime series _Witch Hunter Robin_. I receive no compensation for this story which is why the work was posted to in the first place. If you think I would post a story to this site as well as charge for it elsewhere, you are sadly mistaken (not to mention possessing flawed logic). I do it for the drugs, er, I mean self-satisfaction.

_Update:_ Fixed the dividers.

**Part I**

_Clink. _

_Clink, clink._

_Clink._

A bulb in the fluorescent light directly above the head of the dirty-blonde haired girl flickered on and off in the already dim room of the train station. Robin didn't look up as she swung her legs back and forth underneath her long skirt, too absorbed by a teenage daydream to notice. A single sideways glance from the man seated beside her was all it took for Robin to come back to the present and realize that her constant companion had grown annoyed with her fidgeting. Immediately, her feet ceased and the young girl slumped back in the plastic seat. She craned her neck to stare upwards at the blinking light.

They were going back.

After nine months of being on the run, constantly looking over their shoulder and fearing that Solomon would suddenly appear as the omnipresent boogie man from their nightmares, they would return to the place where it all began.

Japan.

It wasn't exactly home to Robin, even if she had been born in that strange land. She had far more fond memories of her life in Tuscany, despite growing up as the only child in a Solomon controlled nunnery. But, life in Japan had been the first time in her short life that she had felt a glimpse of true happiness. She had even considered some people there genuine friends, something of which she had never known before. However, it wasn't as though she could visit any of her former compatriots from the STN-J. It remained too dangerous to do something so bold, even if there had been no sign that Solomon still searched for them. But both had agreed that it was wise to remain low on the radar until they were positive of Solomon's intentions. In any case, they were not returning for any social visits; they were going back to obtain potential information from an important source.

Beside her, Amon let out a muffled sigh. Not only had he grown increasingly frustrated with the wait in the station today, but with their life in general. Robin knew that Amon was nervous to return to Japan so quickly after leaving; especially in light of their harrowing flight from the country six months prior.

Not that he would ever mention any of his worries to _her_. No, he was always too busy acting the part as her strong and capable guardian to stop and tell her something so - human - about himself. She suspected that the control slipping from Amon's grasp at once angered and frightened him mercilessly. Sometimes the way Amon behaved made Robin want to scream out in her own frustration, but she knew her place with Amon and so kept to it neatly. Backtalking from her would only make their situation worse and Robin would not take any chances that would alienate her from Amon. Sitting beside him now, Robin longed to lean into his shoulder, inhale his scent from his coat, perhaps even feel the comforting warmth of his arm around her, anything to feel comforted. Amon, however, wouldn't like her acting in such a way - especially in public - so she kept herself huddled in the uncomfortable seat.

Amon stood suddenly, taking a few steps before stopping abruptly and turning slightly to face Robin. "Don't go anywhere," he firmly admonished, referencing her stubborn habit of wandering around alone and without his permission. With that, he turned on his heel and set off towards counter to ask about the late train.

_Clink, clink._

A few minutes later, Amon returned with an even more frustrated expression upon his hardened face. Robin looked up expectantly from the floor tiles she had studied in his absence.

"The train will be here in about fifteen minutes." He frowned and stared through the far windows across the cavernous room. "Hopefully we won't be too late to catch the plane to Kyoto. If that were to happen we would need to rebook airplane tickets and the accompanying train to Tokyo."

He sat down heavily in the hard plastic red chair beside Robin. Filled with growing dread and trepidation of their impending excursion, Robin gave into her fear and rested her temple against Amon's shoulder. He jumped slightly in surprise as her body moved against his, tensing momentarily at the unfamiliar touch. Undeterred, Robin snuggled in closer, attempting to absorb the warmth radiating from his body. Though Amon didn't move to wrap his arm around her, he did finally relax a bit, which gave some modicum of comfort to Robin. She closed her eyes, wishing that the train would never come to take them away to Japan.

Then she could stay like this with Amon forever.

-----

The room was dark, an indication to the late hour. And indeed it was quite late. Amon, however, could not fall asleep. In fact, he had had much difficulties with sleeping for quite some time and it didn't seem to matter to his body one iota that it had been nearly twenty hours since he had last visited a bed. Amon had stoically forced himself to remain alert for the first train ride, the airplane and the subsequent train to Tokyo. It was one of his duties as a guardian. 

Amon's attention shifted to girl on the far bed, curled comfortably under the hotel bedspread. It seemed as of late he cursed that Robin could fall asleep so easily while he waited for the alcohol or time itself to sing him his lullaby of sleep. But of course the girl would be able to sleep so easily. Why wouldn't she when she had such a faithful guardian to protect her? He picked up his glass of whiskey and took a large swallow, feeling the alcohol burn on its way down, not allowing his face to display the sensation of pain. He was perplexed as to why now he would have such resentful thoughts towards Robin. There wasn't any way he could be truly angry with her for sleeping soundly when he could not. It certainly wasn't as though she wished for this situation; if anything, she would want the opposite. Her giving nature would eagerly take his exhaustion and send him to the dream realm while she selflessly watched over _him_ for a change. Amon's mind reminded that Robin too had stayed up for the entire trip, nearly collapsing when she finally had a bed to crawl into at the hotel. She had even neglected her nightly bath; something she rarely did without. Reaching across the table for the bottle of whiskey that he had so stealthily hid from Robin's sight earlier, his eyes never left the figure lying prone in the bed.

He breathed a sigh of relief thinking back a few hours earlier when they had found the hotel. There were few available rooms so late of a weekend evening, so he had taken the first he had encountered. Amon was therefore more than relieved to see a set of beds upon opening the door to the Tokyo hotel instead of a single. He took another sip of whiskey, thinking to himself while he watched Robin sleep. Maybe what he needed most at this moment to fall asleep was a warm bed and a warmer girl to snuggle up with. Amon nearly choked on his drink, thoroughly surprised that his mind had allowed such a thought to cross his usually effective no-thinking-about-Robin-in-any-way-except-as-a-ward barrier.

He sighed and replaced the glass upon the table. Why was he thinking of her in this manner now, of all times? Was it because of their contact? It was true that Amon had frequently worried over Robin lately. While she had never been Miss Sunshine, Robin was generally a positive girl. However, she had been acting in a rather morose fashion and he suspected it had something to do with an unexpected e-mail he received a week ago. More troubling was that her behavior had brought out an innate male behavior Amon found particularly bothersome - that must-console-depressed-female one. As much as he wanted to comfort Robin, the part of him that feared her inherent power and the other that was flat-out terrified of getting too close to the girl kept him from doing so. Instead, he settled for spending the nights staring at his young charge as she slept obliviously through the night.

_Lecher._

Yes, he was a lecher and he damn well knew that. Still, he watched, tensing every time Robin shifted or exhaled deeply in her sleep, fearing that she would wake up and find him ogling her. Now, _that_ would be a hoot to explain. Yet strangely part of him _wanted_ her to do just that so he could end this moronic game only he knew had begun. Let her know that he was confused about their relationship too and maybe, just maybe, something would progress in the Amon/Robin relationship department. Lord knew that they were still having too many difficulties adjusting to each other even after so many months on the run together. But, Robin had turned out to be a heavy sleeper and she never awoke, much to his subconscious disappointment.

Amon picked up his glass from the table, pushed back from the small hotel room table and strode to the window. Resting his back against the glass, he stared down at the sleeping Robin. From this angle, he could see the Tokyo night lights from outside faintly illuminating her face in the dark room. Amon couldn't help but notice how peaceful Robin looked when she slept. The sight of her face never ceased to comfort him during these long, sleepless nights.

Frowning, Amon looked down to his glass. No matter how much he tried to hide his recent foray with alcohol, he suspected it was obvious to everyone - including Robin - what he was doing at night. Amon ran a hand through his disheveled hair, wondering how far this little problem of his would go. _No more tonight_, his mind admonished, though admittedly it was a little too late considering he had already imbibed about two-thirds of the bottle just in this sitting.

Glancing towards the clock, Amon discovered that there was still four hours until they were to meet their contact. Sighing, he gave Robin one more wistful look then proceeded to his bed. Once situated under the covers, Amon turned onto his side to watch his sleeping charge. Just once, he wished she would come to him at night so he could invite her into his bed to soothe and comfort her; but she was far too timid to ever do something so bold. At this point, he would settle for her just turning to face him. As if on cue, Robin shifted in her sleep and rolled over to her stomach, her small face peeking out from under the covers. _Angelic_, his disobedient mind whispered as he continued to watch her until he finally drifted into restless sleep.

-----

"We're late," Amon muttered as he trudged up the stairs on his way to the fourth floor of the rather modern-looking apartment building.

Robin decided it was best to keep quiet, bewildered was she by his grumpy disposition. After all, it was Amon who was responsible for making them late. Robin, for once, had been the first to awaken and it had been surprisingly difficult to rouse her guardian. Once he had finally opened his eyes and succeeded in sitting upright in bed, it was obvious even to her that Amon was severely hung over. She had guessed that he had not only consumed quite a bit of alcohol the night before but also had gone to bed at a very late hour. Robin was thus very relieved when Amon announced that they would take a train to meet their contact instead of driving the rental car. Apparently even Amon knew it would be unwise to drive in his state. His recent drinking had made Robin increasingly worried as time went on and she had no clue as to broach this very verboten subject to Amon. She bit her lip and glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand.

"I think the apartment is this way," she offered hesitantly as they reached the fourth floor.

He nodded and silently followed her down the hallway in the direction she had indicated. The two passed over several doors until they found the one they were looking for. They stood before it in a moment of uncertainty, before Amon raised his hand to give the door a sound pounding.

The door opened a crack, the chain guard prohibiting anyone from forcefully pushing it any further. A shadow of a face peeked out cautiously before the door shut abruptly, followed by a noise inside signaling that the chain had been unhooked. The door reopened more fully, revealing an attractive woman in her mid-twenties.

"Hello, Amon," she said softly, a sad smile on her face.

The man nodded stoically. "Hello, Touko," he returned.

She looked past Amon to Robin standing awkwardly behind him. The poor girl looked miserable, cowering behind her guardian as though Touko might not see her there. The older woman forced a smile onto her face.

"Hello, Robin," she greeted.

Robin's eyes widened at Touko's voice, then shifted to the side. "Hello, Touko," she answered, almost inaudibly.

"You look different; I like what you've done with your hair," Touko offered, indicating how Robin's hair now fell to her in long waves down her back instead of the style she used to wear as a Solomon hunter. If possible, Robin became even more uncomfortable and barely managed to mumble out a response. Touko turned back to Amon, noting how his gaze was slow to return from Robin's face to hers. There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other before Touko gave an uncomfortable smile.

"You both better come inside before some notices."

Amon nodded and moved past Touko, his arm brushing lightly against hers as he entered the apartment. She looked over her shoulder to Robin still standing in the corridor and attempted to give the girl a welcoming look. Finally, Robin took a reluctant step forward and followed the two into the main room.

The young witch was the first to take a seat, choosing the love seat over the couch. She could have breathed a sigh of relief when Amon sat down beside her without hesitation as Touko moved to the couch.

"Would either of you like something to drink?" Touko offered politely, disappointment creeping over her as she observed her former roommate with her former lover.

"We had better just get to the information you have for us," Amon answered for the both of them.

She smiled and looked down to her hands, not surprised that Amon would only be interested in the information. It seemed to her that both of her guests wanted to leave as quickly as possible, unsurprising considering everything that had happened almost a year earlier and the strange, disconcerting triangle that had developed between them. Touko reached into her blazer and removed a small disc.

"This contains information about Robin's origins and some other Solomon information that may be of use to you."

"How exactly did you get this information?" Amon inquired, leaning forward eagerly to accept it.

"After the collapse of the Factory, Solomon agents came and confiscated everything related to...m-my father." Touko looked down at her skirt, hands clutching the fabric between her fingers. "About a month ago, I stumbled onto a laptop in storage and the data it contained."

"Then you tracked us down by contacting one of our former comrades at the STN-J."

"Yes. I convinced them to act as a go-between since I knew that only they would be able to locate you and they would likewise never tell the daughter of their...corrupt boss...of your whereabouts."

"This disc most likely contains much valuable information." Amon looked down at the small disc in his hand, impatient to examine its contents. "It will be very helpful to us."

The following oppressive silence stretched out until Amon cleared his throat and abruptly stood. "We should get going."

Both Robin and Touko rose simultaneously, the former moving close to the safety of Amon's side.

"Yes, it's probably best that you don't stay here too long." Touko forced yet another smile to grace her face.

Amon moved towards the door with Robin following closely behind, both appearing relieved at the prospect of leaving the increasingly claustrophobic flat. Amon paused as he reached the door, his hand resting on the knob.

"Thank you for the information. Good bye, Touko."

She sighed, watching blankly as the door swung shut before closing her eyes and clenching her hands at her side. Her misery, however, was interrupted by a strange wavering at her side. Reopening her eyes, Touko turned to the lamp on her entryway table. The bulb lightly flickered, casting oddly menacing shadows on the wall.

"I just changed the bulb," she muttered to herself.

Touko gave one last sidelong glance at the door, then went in search of a new lightbulb.

-----

Robin stood near her suitcase gathering together her meager belongings. She didn't know where they would head to next, only that they were going to a different hotel, presumably in Tokyo. Amon had told her less and less of their plans as time went by, something that made Robin suspect that he too had grown unsure of their future. While this worried and frightened her, she had not mentioned her feelings to her guardian out of fear that it would upset him more. Robin looked down at the skirt she was folding in her hands and exhaled a quiet sigh of frustration. Behind her, Amon paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Is something wrong, Robin?" he asked out of concern. Surprised, Robin turned halfway to look at Amon.

"No," she replied, her eyes widening.

He looked as though he would speak, but instead was interrupted by a knock at the door. Instantly, their paranoia from the months of living on the run emerged and both instinctively tensed, Amon's eyes narrowing and darting towards the far side of the room. No one knew of their present location, or that they were even in Japan for that matter, aside from Touko. Amon removed his sidearm and approached the door, cursing the lack of a peephole. Robin moved into position behind him, prepared to give any support if needed. Amon looked back to her and she nodded in response, wordlessly understanding his intentions. With the hand holding the sidearm positioned behind the door, he turned the knob with the other. A woman looked hesitantly up at him as the door creaked open.

"Touko?" he asked in surprise. They stared at each other in silence before Amon stood back to allow her inside, unsure of what else to do.

She looked to Robin, then down to the gun in Amon's hand. "I didn't mean to startle you both."

Amon replaced his weapon and folded his arms across his chest. "What are you doing here? And how did you find us?"

Touko walked to one of the beds and set her purse down on the comforter. Letting out a sigh, she turned and sat down heavily on the bed. Amon and Robin moved closer in anticipation of what she would say.

"I followed you." As Amon's face began to darken, she hurried to continue. "I know that it probably angers you that I did that, but...I had to." Touko looked pleadingly up to the both of them, searching their masked faces.

Without a word and a pronounced scowl upon his face, Amon turned on his heel and walked purposefully towards the window. "You have put us all at great risk by following us," he said after a few moments, his eyes staring vacantly at the opposite building. Amon angled his head to glare at Touko over his shoulder. "What is it that you hoped to accomplish by coming here?"

She looked down nervously at the trembling hands resting in her lap. Exhaling deeply, Touko pressed her eyes together. "I want to go with you."

Both Amon and Robin's face registered shock at Touko's announcement.

"You want to come with us?" Amon repeated incredulously.

"Yes." Touko gave a rueful smile as her gaze met Amon's.

"Absolutely not," his face turned hard as he replied, voice resolute.

Touko's breath caught in her throat as her heart sunk. "But-"

"You are not coming with us," Amon repeated firmly. "It's much too dangerous. Besides, you don't even have anything with you."

Touko stood up from the bed and took a few tentative steps towards Amon. "I have everything I need in my purse," she began, her eyes begging him to relent. "I can help you in your journey with contacts and financial support--"

"Why would you want to help us?" Amon questioned, cutting Touko off mid-statement and standing intimidatingly with his arms folded across his chest. "You're not even a seed."

This time, both Touko and Robin appeared shocked by Amon's words. Touko swallowed. "There's nothing left for me in this life here. And...I believe in your purpose."

"And what might that be?" Amon scoffed with an ironic small smile. He turned back to stare out the window.

"Amon," Robin began, speaking hesitantly for the first time since Touko had arrived, "we can't send her away, especially after she's followed us here. It will be too dangerous if we just leave her."

He half turned to give Robin a miserable glance, not wanting to admit that she spoke the truth. He squelched the anger he felt that Touko would put them all in this uncomfortable situation. Amon turned away, leaning forward to rest his forehead against the glass. He could sense Touko and Robin waiting for a response from him, one hopeful and the other full of dread and disappointment.

"We should move soon. We need to find another hotel room for the night."

Behind Amon, Touko visibly brightened and glanced in Robin's direction, but the young witch was too preoccupied with her wearied guardian to notice. Or perhaps she was just intentionally ignoring her guardian's former lover. Whatever the reason, it mattered little to Touko. Once more she would be near the man she loved.

-----

"I'll go inside and arrange a room for us," Touko declared, quickly exiting the rental car and heading towards the prospective hotel's entrance before Amon could stop her.

He frowned after her from his place behind the steering wheel, then shifted towards the girl seated beside him. Her eyes slid from the rapidly disappearing figure to meet his. She blinked, startled to find him watching her intently.

"I will get our bags," he stated simply, hurriedly exiting the vehicle to leave Robin staring blankly after him.

After gathering their few belongings from the trunk, Amon discovered Robin waiting dutifully for him outside the passenger side door. He paused, unable to keep his eyes from running down her form. She looked as though she was lost in another daydream - something he suspected she did often despite the ceaseless danger - gazing off into the distance while the wind gently blew through her hair and billowed her calf-length skirt. Since their time on the run from Solomon, Robin had stopped wearing her usual dress (at Amon's insistence that she lose her trademark appearance), exchanging her outfits to sweaters and longish skirts. The result was a mature and incredibly feminine young lady, as he couldn't help but note this morning. Realizing he was staring, Amon collected himself and took a step closer.

"Are you ready to go inside?"

Robin glanced at him from the corner of her eye and gave a single nod. Without waiting, Amon turned and headed for the entrance of the hotel. The young witch followed slightly at a distance, seemingly relegating herself into the secondary role behind Touko.

A man across the street smiled to himself as he watched the two enter the building. He folded up the newspaper he had been reading into his hand and began to cross the busy intersection. Today was definitely his lucky day.

Inside the lobby, Amon and Robin found Touko wrapping up the transaction at the desk.

"There you go, Mrs. Takahashi," the man behind the counter smiled as he handed her two keys.

"Thank you," Touko responded warmly, turning as Amon walked up and handing him one of the keys.

"Ah, welcome to our fine hotel, Mr. Takahashi," the man added upon seeing Amon. "We hope you have an excellent stay with us. If you or your wife need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

Behind Amon, Robin noticeably stiffened at the man's words. His eyes slid to Touko, then just as quickly returned to the hotel employee. "Thank you. We will."

He turned to find Robin appearing as though she couldn't decide whether to set her fiery glare upon the desk clerk or Touko first. Amon shot her a warning frown which resulted in a surprised look by the young girl, followed quickly by a glance away with a small pout upon her lips.

The hotel clerk seemed oblivious to their exchange, calling after them with an enthusiastic, "Thank you!"

Amon quickly headed towards the elevator, eager to get away from watchful eyes, Touko insistently at his side and Robin trailing sullenly behind.

"This is an amazing hotel," she said suddenly, her back resting against the golden mirrored finish of the elevator wall.

"Yes, it is," Touko agreed. "I used to come here all the time for work meetings You've stayed here as well, right Amon?"

"Yes."

Robin shifted her gaze between her older companions, amazed they had lived in a world so different from her own. She dropped her eyes to the carpeted floor of the elevator, feeling quaint and unsophisticated. It didn't help that Touko and Amon looked so _good_ together as if they were created solely for the other; and _they_ had far more in common - like age. Robin shot a small glance from the corner of her eye towards the two. Amon stood with one hand on the side railing of the elevator, staring impatiently at the floor indicator above the door. Touko inclined her head to look up to Amon, smiling as he glanced back to her. He hesitated, determining if he should reciprocate, then returned his attention to the floor indicator. Robin squelched her misery and stared at the pattern on the carpet for the rest of the ride.

Once the elevator opened, the threesome made their way down the long hallway to their room with Robin stubbornly trailing behind. Amon unlocked the door, giving it a slight shove and moved to the side, allowing Touko to enter. Once she had moved inside, Amon turned to wait for Robin to approach, still holding the door open.

"I can get the door myself," she muttered petulantly, trudging past a visibly bewildered Amon. Before Robin had fully passed him, she turned to snatch her suitcase from Amon's arm then marched past an equally surprised Touko into one of the two bedrooms of the suite.

"What's wrong with her?" Touko whispered.

"She's just tired," he responded, tossing their belongings aside on the floor. "You booked a suite?"

"I thought this might be a more appropriate setup than what you two had before...especially with an extra person around."

Amon tossed her a suspicious look before moving into the bedroom Robin had not chosen.

Touko sighed and walked towards the room she would share with Robin, finding the girl methodically sorting through the contents of her suitcase. Touko couldn't help but note that her belongings were woeful compared to the voluminous amounts of items she had had as a teen. _Poor girl; being dragged around from place to place only in the company of a man - and Amon no less._ Robin glanced up hesitantly as Touko approached the bed.

"You don't have to worry about me; I'm not here to take Amon away from you," she said.

Robin's eyes widened at Touko's words, clearly not expecting the older woman to address their odd situation so soon. She glanced down at her clothes with a frown. "Why did you want to come with us?"

"When you get to my age Robin, you have a lot of regrets," Touko began, sitting down on the edge of Robin's bed. "I...have a lot of regrets when it comes to you...and Amon...as well as witches in general. My...father...did very bad things and I was involved in some things that I have since come to regret."

Though Robin didn't face her, Touko knew she was listening to every word carefully. "I also don't have anything to keep me in Tokyo," she continued. "I've read through the files in my father's laptop and I understand why Amon chose to become your guardian."

Robin slowly turned to regard her warily. Touko smiled back warmly at the young witch.

"Your survival is paramount for the future of witches and I have knowledge that can help the both of you. Thank you for letting me come with you," Touko added.

Robin dropped her eyes and nodded glumly.

"I'm going to tell you something else, Robin." Touko swallowed. "You know that Amon and I used to be...together, but that was a long time ago." She hesitated, staring at her fidgeting hands and trying to understand desperately why she would voluntarily explain this to a little girl. Robin stood motionless, looking down blankly at the bedspread, waiting for Touko to continue. "There comes a point when one must understand that what you want most isn't going to happen." She paused again, licking her lips out of nervousness. "That's where I am with Amon. So you see...you don't have to worry about me taking him...away."

Touko waited for Robin to say something – anything – but she remained motionless, letting this flood of new information sink in and pondering what it meant for her future. Amon walked into the room, stopping suddenly to let his steel eyes shift in confusion between the two females. Touko stood up, smiled faintly, and walked out of the room to give them a moment alone.

Amon watched her leave, then turned towards his young ward. Robin had lifted her head, waiting for him to speak. She appeared distant, something he guessed was a self-defense mechanism she had erected to protect herself from potential heartache.

"Are you alright?" he asked cautiously. "You seem upset."

Robin dropped her gaze and roughly snapped the lid of her suitcase shut. "I'm fine."

"You were the one who insisted we bring Touko."

Amon's direct statement caught Robin off guard and she started at his words. She froze, her hands still hovering in mid-air above her suitcase. Robin fought back tears rising behind her eyes, her lower lip trembling from the effort. She could feel Amon at her back watching her reaction closely. Regaining her composure quickly, she leaned forward to finish zipping up her suitcase.

"Yes, I did, and it was the right thing to do, given the information Touko knows and the situation we're in." Robin lifted her head to look straight at Amon, her emerald eyes struggling to hide the emotion within. "She will be an asset to us."

He returned her gaze evenly, studying her. Finally he nodded and retreated from the room without a word. He found Touko in the kitchenette, busying herself with the hotel coffee maker. She raised her eyes as Amon approached the bar and sat down on a stool.

"I know how much Robin adores coffee, so I thought I would start some," she offered, to which Amon merely nodded.

"Yes, Robin always loves coffee," he mumbled quietly as he stared at the countertop of the bar.

Touko fought back her disappointment and with one last forlorn glance at Amon, returned her attention to Robin's beloved beverage.

-----

To be continued in Part II...


	2. Part II

!--disclaimer--!

The following work is based off of the anime series Witch Hunter Robin. I receive no compensation for this story which is why the work was posted to in the first place. If you think I would post a story to this site as well as charge for it elsewhere, you are sadly mistaken (not to mention possessing flawed logic). I do it for the drugs, er, I mean self-satisfaction.

Author's Notes:

First off, thanks to those who reviewed. I genuinely appreciate it.

The reason this stroy is presented in only three parts is because originally I had intended to publish Fallen as a one-shot. I have a very difficult time finishing projects (I've been working on one WHR fanfiction for like nine months), so I have taken to writing shorter stories. However, once I reached twenty-three single spaced lines with tiny margins, I realized this was too long to submit as a one-shot.

I had intended to update sooner, especially seeing as I had most of this thing finiished, but life has been incredibly hard right now and I had to really struggle to get the inclination to fill in the blanks. Further, I'm still not too sure about this section. It's rather dialogue driven in some parts and kind of feels weird in others. Ah, but middle parts usually drag a bit and the plot definitely picks up in the last section. Anyway, Andrew assured me that it was fine. Be sure to let me know what you think.

-Claire

EDIT: Went back _again_ and changed/added some bits. Nothing too much, but hopefully the story is a little better this time around.

**Part II**

Amon relaxed as the door closed behind Robin, relieved to finally be away from the two women. After discovering the girl's woeful amount of personal items, Touko had declared that she would take Robin out for an overdue shopping spree. Robin, of course, had very grudgingly conceded, none too pleased that she was required to spend the afternoon with her former roommate and current guardian's ex-lover. Amon generally would have felt adverse for pushing her to go with Touko, but he knew that she was in desperate need of new clothing and was too shy to ask him directly – at least, that's the story he told his conscious. Deep down (_way_ down) Amon acknowledged that he just wanted some time away from the two to sort out his own confused feelings over the situation that had arisen from the morning. What a predicament indeed. Hopefully, the two would be gone long enough for him to recollect at least a modicum of his formal self.

He rubbed a hand against his forehead. This was exactly what he feared would happen if Touko came along in their travels. Amon could feel the impending awkwardness hiding stealthily amidst the horizon of time, waiting for just the right moment to pounce. His thoughts were interrupted mid-way by a knock on the suite's door.

Absently, Amon reached for the door, assuming it was one of his two female companions, then froze, eyes focusing. Touko had a key to the room and would use it to get back into the room if she had forgotten something. Or, she would have given it to Robin. Amon silently withdrew his sidearm and carefully looked for the door's peephole, swearing internally when he found that again there was none. Carefully, he forced his face to be neutral and calmly opened the door, gun concealed and readied. Peering out cautiously, he still could not see anyone.

"Let me guess; you've got a gun all cocked and hidden behind the door," the amused voice from an unseen visitor taunted.

Amon stepped forward quickly into the hall to find a man with a newspaper folded in his arms leaning against the wall beside the door.

"Nagira," he uttered, completely stunned for the second time that day.

"Aren't you going to invite your brother inside?" Nagira smirked.

Amon moved back into the room, shutting the door firmly after Nagira had entered. "What are you doing here? I told you not to come."

Nagira shot his younger brother an annoyed glare. "Some greeting. I had hoped that being around Robin would teach you better manners. You send me a message telling me that you're both coming back to Tokyo and then order me not to see you? Come on, you should know me better than that."

Amon frowned at Nagira, his arms folded across his chest. "You shouldn't have come. It might be dangerous for you and it's definitely dangerous for us. Someone could have followed you."

"I'm sure that no one followed me," Nagira returned patiently, tossing his newspaper casually on the small table beside the door. "I'm good at this sneaking around business, too."

"How did you find us?"

"I asked around and eventually tracked you to this hotel."

"Is there a specific reason you came?" Amon asked again, convinced that Nagira had an ulterior motive for his surprise visit.

"I can't come and see you two?" Nagira answered evasively. "Hey, where's Robin anyway?"

Amon blinked, mind whirring as he scrambled to think of a way to explain the current situation, but before he could speak, the sound of the front door opening cut him off. Touko had partly entered the room, searching around for something, before she noticed Nagira. Immediately, her eyes widened and her questioning gaze shot to Amon.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just forgot something. I'll be leaving again in just a moment."

"It's alright, Touko," Amon replied.

"Yes," Nagira cut in and stepped forward, extending his hand eagerly. "I'm Amon's brother, Nagira."

"Brother?" Touko repeated blankly as she accepted his hand. Once again, her eyes moved to the man beside Nagira.

"Half-brother, actually," Amon supplied.

"I see," Touko said, her eyes darting back and forth between the two men. Behind her, the door reopened and this time Robin appeared. She froze, gaping at Nagira a moment before a small smile spread across her face.

"Nagira," she exclaimed as she bounded across the room and into his arms, looking a great deal happier than she had during the week earlier and surprising Touko by her familiarity with the visitor.

"Hey, how you doing?" he returned, hugging her close. Nagira looked over her head to Amon.

Robin pulled back and gave him another smile. "Oh, I'm fine."

Touko, having found what she needed, approached the two. "Robin, I'm ready to leave now."

Reluctantly, Robin looked to Nagira, searching his face, clearly not wanting to go.

"That sounds like fun," he prodded gently. "You two should get on your way."

She nodded and reluctantly followed Touko. Robin hesitated as she reached door and looked shyly back to Nagira. "Good bye," she said faintly, then was gone.

Nagira tuned to Amon with an overly broad smile. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

Amon turned away and walked towards the suite's large window overlooking the balcony. He leaned against the frame and stared out across the expanse of downtown Tokyo. Nagira came up beside him and followed suit.

"Why are you here, Nagira?" Amon asked pointedly, ignoring his brother's question. He was in no mood for any sort of the playful banter that usually accompanied his brother's conversations.

"I'm going to come with you."

"No you're not," Amon stated quietly, but firmly, having already guessed his brother's intentions the moment he arrived. "There's enough going on without you tagging along."

"I've noticed," Nagira smiled. "But, you can't get rid of me that easily, you know."

Amon shifted his head against the pane of glass to look at his brother. "Why?"

"Why do I want to go with you? Isn't it obvious?" He smirked at Amon's blank expression. "I love her."

Nagira nearly doubled over with laughter when Amon's face immediately darkened at his words.

"Not in _that_ way – that would be sick." He caught himself as he watched Amon's face darken further. "Uh, but not if I happened to be a couple years younger and you know, had a similar childhood to Robin and whatnot." Nagira breathed deeply and closed his eyes. " I love Robin and I love you – though I'm not always sure why with you. I just want to be around to help."

"What about your firm?"

Nagira turned his attention to the buildings outside the window. "I can't stand worrying about the two of you, constantly afraid you've been discovered. In any case, I've taken care of the practice," he finished evasively.

"I don't need this," Amon muttered to himself.

"So, what is Robin's former roommate doing with you?" Nagira asked abruptly.

Amon frowned at his question. "You know about Touko?"

"Yeah. When Robin was working for me as a messenger, I received some information about her. Robin told me who she was. She's the daughter of that guy – what was his name? I can't believe I could forget that guy. Zaizan?"

"Yes, Zaizan. She was the contact we came to see."

"And she's with you, why?"

Amon let out a low sound of frustration and gripped the edge of the window frame tightly. "I...I'm not sure. Touko insisted that she should come to help us and Robin agreed with her."

"Speaking of Robin, she seems pretty downtrodden. Is it the traveling...or something else?"

Looking across the floor of the balcony outside the window, Amon didn't answer.

"You didn't," Nagira whispered. "You did, though, didn't you? The boss's daughter?" he chuckled sardonically. "You should have known better than to get tangled into a situation like that." Nagira sobered. "Why in hell would you make Robin go through this?"

Amon snapped his head up to level a glare at Nagira, eyes narrowed in anger. "I _didn't_ want Touko to come with us. I tried to make her stay, but _Robin_ thought she should come along."

"That's convenient. Do you blame Robin for all the problems you create?"

"What am I supposed to do with Touko?" he replied shortly, growing more irate by the second. "She'll be in danger if we just send her away."

"Give her to me," Nagira replied seriously as he stood back from the window and straightened. "I'll take her somewhere safe."

"I thought you wanted to come with us?"

"Once she's settled somewhere, I'll find you again."

Amon shook his head glumly. "Robin thinks she'll be an asset."

"That's bull –" Nagira caught himself, hand clenching at his side. "That's not why you're letting that woman stay here and you know it." He raised a hand and pointed a finger directly at his younger brother. Amon merely gazed back, unfazed by Nagira's ire. "_You_ did something to her and now _you_ feel guilty about it. _You're_ making it up to this woman by allowing her to stay. And don't you dare put this on Robin when it is obvious to _all_ of you that she is miserable with this setup."

When Nagira didn't receive a response, Amon continuing to stare with the same masked expression, he sighed and turned his back to the window. "What did you do to this woman anyway that makes you feel so bad?" After another moment of silence ensued and Amon still didn't answer, Nagira tried a different tactic.

"So, have you kissed her yet?" he asked, watching carefully from the corner of his eye. Nagira inwardly smiled as Amon's eyes widened and his body tensed. _Jackpot_, his mind snickered.

Amon spun angrily towards Nagira. "Why would you ask me such a thing? Robin isn't even seventeen yet."

"Think about her age much?" Nagira commented with a sarcastic grin. "And it's interesting that you automatically assumed I was talking about Robin. I could just as easily been referring to Touko."

Knowing he had been caught, Amon poutily turned back to face out the window. His brows creased as his mouth turned downwards.

"Doesn't it get tiring to be so angsty all the time?" Nagira asked, fumbling inside his coat for a cigarette and lighter. "You're the one who gets yourself into these uncomfortable situations, you know," he mumbled around his cigarette.

"Does she ever sleep with you at night?" Nagira asked after a couple of drags on his cigarette. "It's just you two alone every day and night with only a small space between."

Amon hesitated and gave Nagira a sideways glance. "No."

"Has she ever asked you to stay in your bed?"

"No."

"Have you ever asked her?"

A pause. "No."

"Have you wanted to?"

This time Amon remained still, settling for glaring at the Tokyo skyline instead of his intrusive half-sibling.

Nagira turned to face Amon directly. "Speaking of sleeping, you're not doing very much of that yourself are you." It was a statement, not a question. "What do you do at night when you're trying to sleep?" he asked with a growing grin. "I bet you spend a lot of your nights watching her sleep, don't you?" The scowl that spread over Amon's face was confirmation enough for Nagira.

Sobering, he mentally prepared himself for his next question. "You're drinking aren't you?"

Amon demeanor remained outwardly unchanged except for his hands that twitched minutely at the question. "Is it that obvious?" he asked sadly.

"Yes." Nagira cleared his throat. "And you better believe that Robin knows too. She may not understand you as well as I do – she's still young and pretty naive in a lot of areas – but I guarantee you that she knows what you're doing when she's not around." He paused. "I think she's been worried about you for some time."

"I don't know what to do," Amon said softly, closing his eyes.

"About what? Your life or the girl?"

"Everything." He reopened his eyes and slowly turned, shocking Nagira with the openly helpless expression he saw in his brother's face. "I don't know what we're supposed to do or where we should go. We just travel from place to place aimlessly." He looked to his hands. "She has a purpose. She deserves better than this life I give her."

Nagira watched Amon closely. "You're running out of money, too. I'm guessing that's another reason why you have allowed the other one to come with you."

Amon gave a slight nod in response. Nagira crushed out his cigarette then moved to extract another one from inside his coat.

"Do you love her?"

"What does it matter?" Amon responded glumly, shoulders slumping.

"It matters quite a bit, actually. An attraction probably would have occurred under any circumstance, but I get this feeling there's been something between you two for awhile. Isn't that why things have been so awkward together since you've been on the run?" Nagira turned his head towards Amon, noting the look of regret on his wearied face. "I just want to hear you admit it – both to me and yourself." _It's not like you would ever tell Robin_, his mind added sadly.

Nagira nearly sighed aloud from frustration when Amon continued to remain stubbornly silent. "I know you love her – and not like I do, but as a man loves a woman – but I do understand why you might not want to admit such a thing to yourself. She is young, very young, and that could cause you some trouble. But it's obvious to everyone that you care about her; why else would you have so easily left your life behind to watch over her? And I don't buy that it stems from sort of obligation or duty to her, so don't even try that route with me again – especially considering she's an uber-witch. That's love, not duty."

He looked down to the cigarette, his expression growing thoughtful. "You know," Nagira began slowly, "there's something...special...about Robin and there are some times that I wonder that if I were just a few years younger...I might think of her as more than some sort of adopted sister."

"Do you want some coffee?" Amon asked suddenly, startling Nagira by the abrupt change in topics. "Touko made some earlier for Robin and I think there's a little left."

"Sure," Nagira responded agreeably, face softening into a relaxed smile. He turned to follow Amon towards the kitchenette. Nagira was quite frankly amazed that he had gotten such a relatively open dialogue out of his little brother. That he had done so, only made Nagira worry more.

-----

Once the female counterparts had returned from their little outing – Robin looking incredibly relieved not to be under any more obligations to be kind and thankful to Touko and again comfortably at Amon's side – the foursome decided to make their way to the hotel's restaurant. Sticking to the hotel seemed the best way to keep a low profile while Amon and Robin remained in Tokyo.

Before they had reached the elevator, Robin, who continued to trail behind everyone else, stopped abruptly. Her hand went unconsciously to her chest, smooth forehead creasing as she frowned. Amon, on cue, turned his attention to his young charge.

"What is it Robin?"

Her face came up as Touko and Nagira paused. "I forgot something," she began, turning back towards the room. "I'll catch up in a moment."

"I'll stay with her to make sure nothing happens," Nagira volunteered quickly.

Amon cast a wary glance at his brother and nodded his head. Touko quickly fell into step beside him as they continued towards the elevator. Nagira's smile fell downwards as he watched them leave. Realizing suddenly that Robin was no longer at his side, he pivoted quickly to find that she was halfway back to the suite. He darted after her quickly, surprised at how fast the girl could travel.

"What did you forget?" Nagira asked conversationally as they entered the suite.

She turned her face away . "Just something small I'm never without."

He didn't comment on her cryptic response, deciding it would be best to remain in the common area while he waited.

Robin moved into the room she shared with Touko, glancing disinterestedly at the numerous bags on her bed. She picked up the purse Touko had insisted she purchase earlier and withdrew her mother's amulet. Cradling the item in her hands, she sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress. Slowly, Robin ran her finger along the metal surrounding the red cabochon. Her eyes drifted up to vacantly take in the clothes hanging up on the other side of the room. The clothing she saw couldn't have been any more different from her own. It wasn't as though Touko ever wore anything particularly revealing, but Robin could never feel comfortable in such attire. She had to grudgingly admit that she was a convent girl through and through; it would take much time for her to finally shake off the rules of her upbringing. In Robin's mind, it was no wonder that Amon had been with Touko.

A movement to the side caught Robin's attention and she turned her head quickly, tensing instinctively before she saw Nagira standing just outside her door with a questioning look on his face. His eyes trailed from the necklace in her hands, over the number of bags on the bed, then to Touko's clothes hanging on the other side of the room before returning to her. He gave a sympathetic smile.

"You ready to go?"

Robin forced a small smile and rose gracefully from the bed. Quickly, she pulled the amulet over her head, pushing it under her simple sweater and followed Nagira out of the room. Neither said a word until the they had entered the elevator and the doors slid shut.

"I know that things are tricky between you and Amon," Nagira began suddenly, leaning his back against the rear railing of the elevator.

Robin didn't say anything, remaining where she stood, her eyes focused on the vertical dark slit between the doors before her.

"Amon is complicated," he continued slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Of course, you already know that. Don't worry too much about him. Right now, he's just struggling to work things out for himself." Nagira paused. "However, Amon doesn't think too clearly in situations where you're involved; his judgement tends to get, um, clouded somewhat because…he's...worried about you."

Robin's head drooped. "I'm not the only one he's worried about," she whispered.

Nagira glanced her way as the elevator doors opened. From the corner of his eye, he could see Amon and Touko waiting for them outside the restaurant's entrance across the lobby. "You're not looking at the situation correctly. You need to take a closer look."

Without a sound – and clearly disagreeing with Nagira's words – Robin quickly exited the elevator and glided across the polished marbled floor of the lobby towards the other two.

Letting out a low growl and attempting to restrain himself from glaring at his younger brother and former flame, Nagira trailed distantly behind Robin. Oddly enough, the following meal progressed in peace and even Robin didn't seem too upset with Touko's presence. The fact that Amon had chosen to take his place next to her, probably had something to do with helping with her mood.

Once the foursome had returned to the room after dinner, Robin promptly announced she would make another pot of coffee. Nagira looked up from his spot on the couch, an amused expression on his face.

"Robin," he began, "has it occurred to you that you might have a problem?"

The girl immediately looked indignant at such a suggestion. Nagira cut her off before she could protest.

"I was only kidding," he reassured quickly.

Still a bit miffed, Robin turned back to the jar of coffee and began scooping the grounds into the filter.

Beside Nagira, the light bulb in the lamp on the table alongside the couch began to flicker.

"What's up with this damn lamp?" Nagira muttered after a few moments, standing up and leaning forward to peer at the item in question.

"It probably just needs a new bulb," Touko suggested from the kitchenette.

Robin shook her head. Her coffee-making finished, she strolled up to where Nagira stood. "No, it most likely just needs to be tightened."

She bent forward and carefully grasped the base of the bulb. As her fingers connected with the glass, the bulb shorted out and burst, startling both Amon and Touko across the room.

"What did you do, Robin?" Nagira asked after a moment of stunned silence. "You didn't use your craft on it, did you?"

Robin's face crinkled in response. "I just touched it. Why would I use my craft on a light bulb?"

"That was odd," Touko noted as she approached the two.

"Everything is odd for us," Amon commented drolly from the bar.

-----

Excluding the incident with the light bulb, the rest of the evening proceeded uneventfully. It seemed that they were all in silent accord that they were not yet ready to discuss their plans of the future for all were unwilling to broach the subject. Unusually wearied, Nagira excused himself late in the evening. In his absence, Robin stretched herself out along the length of the couch, turning on to her side to get into a more comfortable position. She was so engrossed in the new book she had picked up earlier that day she didn't notice Touko and Amon sitting together at the kitchenette's bar, quietly sipping coffee. Slowly, Robin's eyes were closed more often than open and her book gradually fell onto her breast.

Amon rose from the bar to pour himself another cup of coffee, struggling to fight back the urge to take a visit to the local hotel bar where he could spend the rest of the night drinking his despair away in peace. Instead, he found the coffee carafe empty and shoved it back into the coffee maker in frustration. Realizing that he could see no movement from the girl on the couch as he made his way back to his seat, he changed course abruptly and approached Robin, finding her peacefully asleep. Touko came up alongside him, smiling when her eyes fell upon the young witch.

"Poor girl. She's had a long day."

"Yes."

"Looking at her like this, it's difficult to imagine that she's the most powerful witch in existence," Touko commented before she realized what she had spoken.

"Yes."

Touko glanced up, finding Amon looking wistfully at his young charge. Embarrassed, she dropped her eyes back to Robin. "You must think about that all of the time. Especially, since your mother…" she trailed off.

"I should probably put her to bed," he remarked suddenly.

Instead of shaking Robin awake as Touko expected, Amon leaned forward and carefully lifted her from the couch and into his arms. He looked down, studying Robin's face a moment as she lay cradled against his chest, taking in how her light hair delicately framed her face, then started for her room. Heart breaking a little more, Touko retreated to the balcony, hoping to clear her thoughts in the night air. Unlike her emotions, the night was still and clear. A few moments later, she heard Amon step out into the balcony.

"It's a beautiful night," she commented, not turning to face him. "The sky is so clear." Touko smiled. "Hmm. This should be romantic with just the two of us out here alone..." she inclined her head to look at Amon from the corner of her eye, "...but it's not."

Amon dropped his head and moved to rest a hand against the railing. Touko closed her eyes, feeling the wind ruffle her hair. "Why didn't you tell me you had a brother, Amon?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter?"

She smiled again. "I guess it doesn't at this point," she remarked, looking across the city skyline. "You love her, don't you?"

"No," Amon answered without pause.

"Hmpf. You always could lie so easily to me." She clutched the railing and bit her lip. "Why?" she whispered, brows furrowing. "I just don't understand why you chose a-a fifteen year old _girl_ over me." She closed her eyes, fighting back angry tears. "And a witch, no less."

After a moment, Touko reopened her eyes, finding Amon staring forlornly into the night sky. For a change, he didn't look his usual arrogant and assured self; tonight, he looked lost and confused. The element of control that used to be ever present around him was quickly chipping away. Standing beside her on the balcony, he looked more – dare she say it? – human.

_Is this Robin's influence?_ Touko mused. _Is Robin reaching inside and removing the wall which surrounds him, pulling out his long dormant humanity? Or is it that he's merely falling apart from the strain of running?_

Sensing a pair of eyes, Amon turned his head to look at Touko from the corner of his eye. "Yes?"

She startled, mouth dropping open a bit in surprise at having been caught starting, then smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing." Touko inhaled deeply and moved forward to grasp his sleeve gently with one hand. "Do you…think it's possible for us to have one more night together?"

She hurried to finish before Amon could interrupt. "It would only be one night and there would be no strings attached – I promise." She turned into him, sandwiching his arm to her chest and burying her face against the smooth fabric of his shirt. Amon didn't look down, eyes focused on a phantom spot across the street upon a non-descript building.

"The other's are asleep," Touko whispered fervently. "No one would ever have to find out."

Amon sighed. "But there would be strings attached and the others would know eventually, especially if you continue to stay with us."

Touko's hands clutched his arm tighter, barely managing to keep her tears at bay. "I knew you would refuse, but…I just had to ask." She rested her forehead against his arm. "I love you, Amon."

His face turned sad and regretful in the moonlight.

"I know, Touko."

-----

Robin sat up with a start, her eyes flitting wildly about the dark room. It had been so long since she had awoken in the night from a nightmare and the intensity of this particular one had been especially frightening. She looked to the side, her chest still heaving from the memory, to find the adjacent bed empty. Slightly confused by this, she silently crept to the door of the bedroom and opened it a crack. Through the narrow space, she could see that the sliding glass door of the balcony was open, the curtains framing the doorway billowing gently in the night air. Cautiously, she stepped closer until she could just hear the voices of Amon and Touko drifting faintly through the deserted main area. Anger from the thought that the two were together and – more importantly – alone, sent a frighteningly strong wave of anger coursing through her body. Startled at the intensity of her emotions, she fell back into her bedroom. Robin placed a hand to her sweaty forehead and gave herself a mental shake.

In under a second, she made up her mind to leave, take a walk – anything to get away from the constant reminder that was Touko. And she didn't care one iota if her decision made Amon furious. In fact, to her angry young mind that was preferable. Hurriedly, she tossed off her night clothes, changing quickly into the long skirt and sweater she had worn the previous day. Robin carefully made her way to the door and peeked out, still unable to catch a glimpse of the two through the balcony doors. Rushing through the dimmed main area, Robin picked up the key from the front table and moved into the hallway, silently closing the door behind.

As she walked down the corridor, the lights overhead seemed to dim, transforming the hallway into a memory of a terrifying place from her nightmare. Her heart began to race as she picked up her pace. Futilely, she fought back her terror and confusion, her panicked mind unable to determine if this was real or if she was still back in her bed, caught in the dream. Robin's feet took her to the end of the hallway, past the elevator, then through the end doors and into the stairwell. Down and down she went, the painted numbers representing the various floors blurring as she descended until at last she had reached the main floor.

The area was deserted. Apparently, unlike herself, everyone had decided that this was the proper time to be sleeping and not wandering around an extremely large Japanese hotel on their own. Robin's feet began to quicken again until she was sprinting down the hotel corridors, the hallways becoming darker still. She felt like she was drowning, her steps becoming heavier and more languid as she continued. Finally, her feet stopped and she leaned her head against a wall, consumed by fear and the exhaustion of her exertions. Her breast heaved with every labored intake of air; sweat rolling from her forehead and over her cheeks. Robin was extremely confused; she didn't know why she ran or exactly what made her so afraid.

"Um, are you alright, miss?" the hesitant voice asked, breaking through her terror.

Robin opened her eyes, finding the hallway back to its original form. Before her stood a young hotel worker looking worriedly at her. He shifted uncomfortably as he waited for her to speak. Robin forced a smile and pushed back from the wall.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired." She started past the young man, trying to not appear as though she was fleeing him.

"Are you sure?" he called after her, quite unconvinced.

"Yes," she threw over her shoulder and quickly rounded a corner. Once she was sure no one followed her, Robin stopped her feet again and rested a hand against the wall.

_Clink_.

Looking up, Robin stared blankly at the light blinking overhead. She covered her eyes with her hands and shook her head. She should never have been so foolish to have left the suite and wander around on her own so late at night. Suddenly, Robin looked up, squinting down the hallway. If felt as though something dark and unseen down the corridor beckoned to her, drawing her in on some imaginary string. Curious, she began to walk quickly through the hall. At the end, she found a pair of doors; above, was a sign which read simply: Chapel.

Her shaking hand rested on the knob, hesitant to enter, fearing what might be on the other side. Pushing the door open, Robin found the cavernous chapel empty. The interior was rather stern, with darkly colored walls and generic wooden pews. The rear of the church, however, was full of carvings gaudily painted, jarring in contrast with the stark feel of the rest of the room.

_A chapel in a Japanese hotel_, she wondered. _And one so large_?

Robin made her way past the rows of lit candles and walked to the front until she stood before the altar. Around her, the air felt heavy and menacing. Fearfully, she turned her face to stare up at the carved statues above the altar. The faces seemed to shift between serene and peaceful to writhing in agony and terror. Above her head, the ceiling lights began to faintly flicker.

She clapped her hands over her eyes again and dropped to her knees, overcome with terror. Something was _in_ here with her, of that Robin was positive. Some dark and terrifying monster leftover from a fragment of time when such things existed, crouching in the shadows of the chapel and waiting patiently for the right moment to jump out and consume her. She whimpered, cowering on the floor, wishing Amon was beside her.

Around her, the chapel darkened.

-----

To be concluded in **Part III**...


	3. Part III

!--disclaimer--!

The following work is based off of the anime series Witch Hunter Robin. I receive no compensation for this story which is why the work was posted to in the first place. If you think I would post a story to this site as well as charge for it elsewhere, you are sadly mistaken (not to mention _still_ in possession of flawed logic).

**Part III**

"We should get some sleep," Touko suggested, her voice cutting through the night air after a particularly long lull of silence had stretched out.

Amon didn't move from where he stood on the balcony, staring at the sky, yet at the same time not really seeing the stars shimmering above. "Yes," he answered slowly. "I guess we should."

Touko hesitated, one hand still trailing upon the railing, restraining the urge within to rush into Amon's chest. "Are you sure?" she whispered fiercely, her eyes downcast, already knowing the answer to her question. "Are you sure you don't want one last time?"

Finally, Amon moved, his arm lightly brushing against hers as he passed, then walked through the door of the suite without a backwards glance. Touko squelched the rising, yet expected wave of disappointment and turned to follow. Watching her feet and not particularly caring about what lay before her, she didn't realize that Amon had stopped just inside the room until she collided against his back suddenly with a soft thud. Confused, she stepped to the side, freezing as she caught sight of the tense and worried expression on his face. Her eyes shifted in the direction of where his gaze lay, gasping when she saw the door of her bedroom open and the shadowy forms of the beds from within bare. Amon turned on his heel and headed to the other room. Without bothering to knock or give some other kind of warning to the occupant sleeping inside, he tossed the door open, waking Nagira with a jolt.

"What the hell?" he slurred, confused to see Amon standing framed in the doorway.

"Has Robin been in to see you?" Amon asked directly, ignoring his brother's irate glare.

"Robin?" Nagira responded, hand freezing as he reached for his discarded shirt. "Is Robin missing?"

"Yes." Amon tossed another glance about the room.

"She's not here," Nagira answered sourly, a tad bit annoyed that Amon would even entertain such a thought. "Why would she come in to see me?"

"You're close to her." Amon's eyes finally came to rest on Nagira. "She may have had a nightmare."

Nagira's eyes flickered to Touko standing awkwardly behind Amon and still in her day clothes, then stared back evenly at Amon. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I would be the one she would turn to in times of duress."

Amon turned on his heel. "I'm going to look for her –"

"No," Nagira interjected, stopping Amon dead in his tracks. "It will be best if I go look for Robin. Stay here in case she comes back."

Nagira finished pulling his shirt over his head and slipped into the shoes scattered next to his bed. Without another word, he swiped a key card from the entryway table and stepped into the hallway, barely resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. Nagira didn't fully understand him why the sight of Amon with his ex upset him so much. He knew that Amon didn't love her – moreover, probably never had – and wasn't likely to do anything with the woman. He guessed that it came down to the fact that their mere presence together broke asunder Robin's very being. He further surmised that the situation was made worse considering the girl was unaware of Amon's true feelings for her. Perhaps, she merely chose not to see it, unable to bear the implications of that thought and the constant chasm between them. Or quite possibly, she refused to see it for just that reason. He sighed as he entered the elevator, feeling the anger return.

"Damn them," he muttered to himself.

Once Nagira had reached the first floor, deducing that was the only place Robin could likely be, all things considered, since it was the only floor that held anything of interest, he began his search. At an intersection of corridors, Nagira paused looking through them as he pondered which one was most probable to result in his missing Robin until a sign caught his eye.

"Chapel?" Nagira whispered to himself in surprise. He looked to his left, then hurried down the hallway past a confused-looking young hotel employee. It didn't take long for him to locate the chapel, slamming frantically through the doors upon arrival. At first, he panicked, seeing no one in the room. A faint murmuring from the front caught Nagira's attention and he sprinted towards the sound. He rounded the front pew, finding Robin cowering on the floor with her back resting against the seat of the pew. Her hands covered her ears and her eyes were squeezed shut. Her small body trembled as she rocked back and forth slightly.

_"This isn't real this isn't real this isn't real_," she chanted in a hushed voice.

Worried – not to mention quite frightened himself – Nagira dropped to his knees and reached out to the girl, his hand stopping just short of her shoulder.

"Robin," he called softly.

She cringed at his voice. "This isn't real. _You're_ not real. No one is here with me. It's all in my mind."

Nagira's hand connected with Robin's shoulder then, rubbing against the fabric of her sweater gently as he attempted to reassure her. "It's alright, Robin. I'm here."

"Nagira?" she whispered fearfully, her body stilling.

"It's me, Robin."

Slowly, her hands dropped away from her ears and her eyes fluttered open. Robin slowly lifted her chin to look to his face, her own so full of dread, then glanced fearfully to something behind him. He turned, finding only some mediocre carvings behind the altar. Puzzled, he looked back to the girl, observing her terrified and ashen face.

"Let's get you out of here," he said, reaching down to pick Robin off of the ground. Now, _he_ had become thoroughly creeped out by the place. _Some chapel_, Nagira thought sardonically as he tucked Robin under his arm and rushed from the chapel, hurrying back to their hotel room as quickly as her small legs would allow.

Amon pounced on them as the door opened, face darkening. "Robin, where have you –"

He was promptly cut off by Nagira giving him a direct shove to the center of his chest as they passed by.

_"Not now_," he said firmly, giving his idiot kid brother a glare over his shoulder before leading an obviously dazed Robin into her room. Was the man blind?

Once inside the empty bedroom, Nagira pulled back the covers of Robin's bed and slid her between the sheets. She still looked frightened and a trifle confused, but his presence apparently had relaxed and soothed her somewhat. Nagira sighed, still furious with his brother, then finished pulling the covers over to make a small Robin sandwich. He couldn't help noticing how tiny and alone she looked in that bed. It was as though Robin was incomplete just being by herself. _Absurd_, his mind retorted, _she _**does not**_ need Amon to be complete_. He reached a hand out to smooth back her hair.

"It's alright now," Nagira soothed. "I won't let anyone hurt you." He hesitated as he took in her glazed expression, his own worry and concern reflecting in the blank green depths of her eyes. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked gently.

Robin's face crinkled as she dropped her gaze and pulled her legs up to form herself into a ball.

"That's fine. You don't have to say anything now, if you're not ready." Nagira stood up from the bed. "I'm going to leave now, but if you need anything, you can always come to me, okay?"

Robin barely managed to nod her head once, then closed her eyes. After Nagira had flipped off the light and shut the door firmly behind him, he rested against the doorframe, collecting himself a moment, then glared towards Amon. He found his brother still standing by the main door where he had last seen him, Touko sitting upon the couch, tense, worried and waiting for Nagira's words.

"What happened?" Amon asked eventually when Nagira made no indication that he would relate how he had discovered Robin's whereabouts any time soon. Nagira could see that Amon struggled to maintain his neutral façade, but it was crumbling fast as the silence stretched on. Nagira moved to the vacant overstuffed chair, collapsing heavily into it.

"I'm not sure," he answered at length, his eyes roaming over the boring surface of the ceiling.

"She looks traumatized," Touko commented meekly.

Nagira slowly lowered his gaze, looking annoyed that the usurper (for that was how he had come to think of her) had spoken. She immediately dropped her head. Amon remained silent, keeping his focus on Nagira.

"I'm not clear what happened," Nagira answered at length. "She didn't want to talk about it."

Amon cleared his throat and tried again. "Where did you find her?"

"She was in the hotel's chapel."

"There's a chapel in the hotel?" Amon reiterated in surprise.

"Yeah." Nagira let an ironic smile cross his face. "I guess Solomon's influence is finally showing it's ugly face in Japan." He lifted his eyes to stare at the ceiling once more. "I found Robin sitting on the ground before the first row of pews, rocking back and forth. It was clear that she was terrified of something." He took an audible swallow and cleared his throat before continuing. "I think she was convinced I was a demon at first."

"A demon?" Amon repeated, eyes narrowing in thought. Touko glanced up to him, a stab of jealousy overtaking her as she observed his concerned face. "She's having visions?"

"I guess," he shrugged. "Neither of you heard Robin leave the suite?" Nagira turned his head slightly, regarding the two warily. "I only ask because it appears that neither of you haven't been to bed as of yet."

For the briefest second, Amon stiffened. If Nagira hadn't known his brother, oh so well, he wouldn't have noticed that little reaction – or the way his eyes widened slightly before returning to their usual masked appearance. But he _did_ know Amon that well and he most certainly _did_ catch the tiny admittance of guilt which flashed in his brother's eyes for that infinitesimal second. Beside him, still seated upon the couch, Touko compulsively fingered the edge of her skirt nervously.

"We were speaking out on the balcony."

Nagira turned his accusatory face back to his brother. "Hmm."

Amon frowned back, clearly unhappy with whatever his brother had insinuated, then turned towards his room. "It's been a long night. Since Robin's safe now, I'm going to bed."

"I think I should follow suit." Touko stood up quickly and headed for the room she shared with Robin, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with Nagira. "I'll make sure Robin stays put in her bed."

Nagira leaned back in his chair, anger bubbling anew. He gritted his teeth as his eyes vacantly studied the framed painting on the far wall. Robin had been aware of the two on the balcony, of that he was sure. Part of him wondered what might have transpired had Robin, full of need for emotional reassurance lately, found Amon alone on the balcony, then immediately ceased the thought knowing that it was useless to think of what-ifs.

_Amon_, his mind whispered, _why are you screwing this up?_

-----

Feeling sunlight floating across her face, Robin rolled away grumpily and reluctantly opened her eyes. In a daze, she pushed her hair away from her face, sorting through her jumbled and sleep-hazed memory. The events of the night before rushed back on her and she gave a muffled cry as she curled into her blankets unable to shake the terror which accompanied the thoughts. After a moment of remembering and shaking, she reopened her eyes, recalling Nagira's words of comfort.

"I don't want to run away," she whispered. Robin forced herself to sit up in bed, finding the adjacent bed empty again. Reaching her arms above her head, she gave a yawn as she stretched. Glancing at the clock, she found the time was already well after eleven.

"It's late," she commented to the empty room. Robin gathered some clean clothes and quietly exited the room, hoping the others had gone off for breakfast without her. No such luck as she found the other three sitting quietly at the bar in the kitchenette, absorbed in an animated discussion as to the differences between brewed coffee and espresso. Upon her entrance, Nagira immediately looked in her direction. The other two tensed and hesitantly turned, waiting for her to speak first. Robin's feet came to a stop and she hugged her clothes tightly to her chest, growing increasingly uncomfortable by their staring.

_They're just worried about you_, a voice reminded. Robin forced herself to relax and gave them a genuine smile.

"Good morning, Amon," she greeted shyly, before turning towards Nagira. "Morning to you, too." Her smile faltered as her eyes landed on Touko. "Good morning, Touko," she finished hurriedly, acutely conscious of her lapse. "I'm going to take a bath now. I'll be out shortly." With that she dove into the bathroom, cheeks burning.

"She looks better this morning," Amon observed after they heard the water begin to fall into the bathtub.

"Are you sure she isn't faking for our benefit?" Nagira asked.

Amon shook his head. "No. I've been around her long enough to tell the difference." He paused, a thoughtful expression upon his face. "We should ask her about last night."

"Normally, I wouldn't agree with you considering the trauma Robin has endured, but I think in this case it's the best thing. With the three of us here, she can't dodge our questions for very long."

Amon replaced his cup of coffee on the bar, looking thoughtfully into space. "She'll be expecting it."

"How do you know?" Touko asked with a frown.

"Because," he answered slowly, running his index finger around the edge of his cup, "she's been around me long enough to expect such things."

Touko dropped her head to stare into her coffee cup.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Robin emerged from the bathroom in fresh clothes, her dirty ones collected untidily in her arms. Water dripped from her hair, collecting in the towel strategically placed about her shoulders. Behind her, steam poured out from the bathroom and into the main area, a faint scent of lilac tumbling out after her and filling the air. Once Robin had deposited her belongings in the room, she returned, concentrating on using the towel to soak up the excess water from her hair. As she came towards them, Nagira realized that Amon hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she had left the bathroom. Further, he knew that Touko had noticed this too. Robin came to a stop before them, her face blank, yet underneath there was an obvious undercurrent of determination.

Amon swiveled in his seat to face her fully, wasting no time in getting to the matter at hand. "Robin, we need to talk about what happened last night." He paused. "You know that you are not to go anywhere alone considering your status as a rogue agent of Solomon."

She didn't respond, choosing instead to stare calmly back at him. Not really expecting a reply, Amon continued. "Tell us exactly what happened and why you didn't come to me."

"I had a nightmare and you were already engrossed in talking with Touko at the time," she answered succinctly and without hesitation.

Nagira glanced quickly towards Amon, swearing that he had seen his brother cringe at the latter part of her explanation.

"You didn't think that maybe it would be a good idea to interrupt? Instead, you leave without telling anyone where you were going?"

"You would have stopped me if I had told you," she replied non-plussed.

Nagira nearly burst out laughing at the expression of anger and irritation on his brother's face. Clearly, Amon had not expected to deal with the insolent side of Robin this morning.

Amon's eyes narrowed at his uncooperative ward, hands unconsciously tightening into fists on his thigh. "What kind of nightmare did you have?" he managed to get out without sounding _too_ furious.

Robin's confidence faltered finally and she dropped her eyes. He moved on when she didn't answer. "Do you have nightmares often, Robin?"

"No," she answered quietly. "This was the first one I've had like, like…_that_."

Amon studied her carefully, then pushed the stool from the bar. "We should go downstairs to have breakfast before the restaurant closes for lunch."

Startled by the abrupt change in subjects, Touko and Nagira gaped at Amon in surprise.

"Er, yes, that sounds good," Nagira agreed, standing and moving towards his brother.

"Let me just go grab my things," Touko followed, moving towards the table where her purse lay.

Robin nodded. "I need to get some coffee first."

"But you can get coffee downstairs at the restaurant," Nagira responded as he stepped towards his shoes laying discarded by the couch from last night.

"I-I know," she answered, dropping her eyes. "I just like Touko's coffee, that's all."

Surprised, Touko turned from the entryway table and gave a reassuring smile. "Well, I did make it for you," she said gently.

Robin smiled faintly and nodded back.

"I'll stay with Robin. You two go ahead and we'll be right down," Amon announced. Nagira and Touko nodded to him, then made their way to the door. Amon waited until they had left, then turned toward Robin. With her back to him, she shuffled around the kitchenette, prepping her coffee as she did almost every morning. He knew she was waiting, though. Waiting for him to finish the questioning he had begun.

"What happened, Robin?"

It was direct, simple, to the point. He didn't want to play a game, he wanted answers. Robin's shoulders slumped at his voice, slowly lowering her hand to replace the spoon on the counter.

"I don't really know," she answered. "It was…dark and…confusing." She tittered faintly and shrugged. "I don't even know how much was real and how much part of the dream." Robin paused. "I know you're angry that I left…but, I didn't want…to bother –"

Amon's hand fell upon her shoulder then, insistently pulling her backwards. She gasped, eyes fluttering open as his arms surrounded her, squeezing her small body tightly against his chest. Robin could hear his heart thudding softly beneath her ear.

"You wouldn't be bothering me, Robin," he whispered fervently into her hair. "I was _worried_ about you, not angry." He lifted his hand and rested it against her cheek. "I take your well-being very seriously. Don't hesitate to come to me. Do you understand, Robin?"

Immensely confused, she nodded into his shirt, too embarrassed to look into his eyes, her own heart fluttering nervously in her chest. At that very moment, the door of the suite opened, and Robin instantly froze, unable to see over Amon's hand still resting on her cheek. Amon loosened his grip on her waist, but didn't drop his arms as he turned his head towards the sound.

"I forgot my –" Nagira stopped abruptly as his eyes fell on the two, " – wallet." He looked to the table, spotting the object in question. "Found it. I'll be on my way now," he called cheerily, holding up the wallet in his hand. "Take as much time as you need. There's no hurry." He shut the door quickly behind, suppressing a relieved smile as he exited.

Amon exhaled as soon as the door closed, his arms once more tightening on Robin's slight frame. She reciprocally leaned in close, breathing his familiar scent off of his shirt, wishing once again that she could remain in Amon's arms forever.

-----

"Wow, lots of choices," Nagira commented as he looked over the menu.

Touko glanced up, studied him a moment, then placed her own aside. "I have the impression that you don't like me very much."

Nagira didn't look up. "And what gave you that idea?"

"How did you meet Robin?" she asked instead, ignoring his question.

"Amon sent her to me after the attack at the STN-J," Nagira replied, eyes appearing to study the menu. In truth, he had already decided on his choice of food several minutes prior, but he continued to stare blankly at it rather than at the woman before him. He balanced the menu in his left hand while his other reached into his coat to retrieve a cigarette. "I looked after Robin for a month or so until Amon came back for her."

"I see. Amon never told me that he had a brother."

"Robin didn't know either until a couple of days before the Factory collapsed." Nagira abruptly looked up and dropped the menu. His demeanor changed in an instant from distant to one of hostility; his eyes scrutinizing as he studied Touko. "You must...know about them, don't you?"

Frowning, Touko dropped her eyes to the white tablecloth. "I fully realized it a couple of months ago, but in retrospect...I had known some time before Amon ended our relationship."

Nagira leaned forward, an angry look upon his face. "I don't know what happened between you and Amon, and frankly, I don't care. However, you _will not_ interfere with those two. Do you get me?"

Touko smiled sadly. "I can understand why you would be so protective of Robin – especially considering what she has gone through, but you don't need to worry about me. I have no intention of...coming between them."

Nagira studied Touko, exhaling cigarette smoke in her direction. "Is that right?" He leaned forward to push out the cigarette in an ashtray. "Then tell me, why is it that you insisted on traveling with them?"

"I want to be with Amon."

"Aren't you angry with him? With _her_?"

Touko gave a sardonic small laugh. "I was. I was angry for a very long time. But, eventually I realized that that their relationship was something that neither of them had wanted." Her smile turned wry. "You know, if things were different, you might be the kind of man I would become attracted to."

Nagira fixed her with a wary eye until he heard Robin and Amon come up behind them. Amon glanced curiously between Nagira's hard face and Touko's nonchalant one, then took his seat.

"Wow, lots of choices," Nagira commented again, looking down to his menu.

-----

The day quickly passed by and Robin once again found herself caught between the frightening expanse of reality and the dream world, hopelessly unable to distinguish the two. She sat up in bed, wiping the sweat away from her brow. Pulling her hand away from her face, Robin saw that her hand trembled in the faint light of the moon. She looked over to the bed beside hers, finding Touko fast asleep.

-----

"Is Robin still sleeping?" Nagira asked with a yawn as he stumbled into the kitchenette the next morning and took a seat at the bar.

"Yes," Touko answered with a smile. "It seems like she's had a much better sleep than the night before." She set a mug of coffee down in front of him.

Nagira nodded his head in thanks. "That's good. The kid's already going to need a lot of therapy by the time she's an adult – Amon?"

His attention was distracted by his younger brother suddenly stiffening and standing abruptly from the bar stool. He rushed to the table by the door where two key cards lay. Swearing vehemently, he spun on his heel and charged towards the room Touko and Robin shared. Before Nagira could protest his brother's actions, Amon flung open the door and stormed inside. With one yank, he pulled back the bedspread, revealing a few strategically placed pillows. Nagira and Touko had managed to catch up to him and gaped at the discovery. Amon raised his hands to his temples, frantically analyzing the possibilities of where she could have gone.

"She left again?" Nagira asked blankly. "Why the hell would she do that?"

"We better look for her," Touko began. "I'll search the –"

"No," Amon ordered. "Not yet. She left for a reason. We just have to figure out what that reason could be." He stood by the bed, hand on his chin, thinking hard. His hand fell away as realization sunk in, eyes widening. "It's a witch," Amon whispered.

"What?" Nagira asked, growing more alarmed.

"A witch has been controlling Robin telepathically, these past two nights."

"Are you sure?" Touko asked.

Amon gave a sideways glare. "I was a hunter for a very long time. Yes, I'm sure." He dropped his eyes to the pillows arranged on the bed. "He must have called to her and Robin, being so powerful, knew where to find him. The night before must have been some sort of test run to see if she would answer his call." Amon's hand instinctively went to the gun always hidden under his coat. "Let's go."

"Do you actually know where she is?" Nagira called, trotting after his brother.

Amon barely paused as he reached for the door. "Yes."

"Shouldn't we bring more weapons or something?"

"Robin is firepower enough."

"Amon," Nagira called, finally catching up enough to get his hand locked on his brother's shoulder. "If this witch has Robin, do you think it's a good idea to go barging in like this? None of us have any special powers."

Finally, Amon's feet halted and he turned to Nagira. "You're right. You should take Touko and leave the hotel this instance."

Nagira's eyes widened. "There's no way I'm going without either of you two."

Amon had once more resumed walking. "Fine," he called over his shoulder. "Do what you will. My responsibility is for Robin alone."

-----

On all sides, Robin found herself surrounded by men whom could only be labeled as thugs. The tall, dark man, obviously the leader of the group, stood in front of the altar looking menacingly down at the young witch sitting before him in the front row of pews as though he was daring her to challenge his authority. He appeared to be some sort of amalgamation from Western European descent as far as Robin could determine. Otherwise, she had no idea what to expect.

"I'm so honored to finally meet you," the man sneered without an introduction to himself. "It's not everyday one gets to meet the Eve of Witches."

"How do you know about me?" Robin asked, straining to hide her suspicion.

"I know about all of Solomon's experiments," he responded with a smirk. The man moved towards the altar. "I'm an ex-Solomon hunter turned witch, just like you." He glanced at her carefully out of the corner of his eye.

On cue, Robin's eyes widened slightly, but she remained silent for a few moments, carefully mulling over the situation. "What do you want with me?"

"You are a very valuable asset to someone like me. A sort of...collateral." The man waved his hand in the air in some sort of grand gesture.

Her face darkened. "No. You're a collector of artifacts."

The man hesitated briefly, his interest infinitely increasing by the young girl sitting sedately in the pew as their conversation continued. "Why yes, yes I am." The man leaned forward, smiling like a wolf. "Now, how could I pass up the Arcanum of the Craft?"

"Is that all you want from me? I'm just a trophy to you?"

"Something like that. I'm _so_ sorry to not have a grander purpose in mind," he added sarcastically.

"How do you have so many men under you?" she asked in a quick change of topics, half-turning to indicate the men at her side.

"Some people are drawn to power, hoping to get a little themselves." He waved a hand around. "These are all former hunters – just like us."

"I won't let you take me," Robin declared softly. Her gaze turned to steel as her green eyes pinned him in place. "My craft is too powerful for you to contain."

The man turned to smirk down at her in a look that made Robin's blood boil. "Who's going to stop me? You? We shall see." His expression turned to disdain. "You have an Achilles' heel, girl. That laughable little group of two humans and that worthless seed. Oh yes, I know all about them as well. Now really, what can those pathetic souls do against my band of former Solomon agents?"

"Don't talk about them that way," she responded in a whisper. Though her voice sounded soft, the cutting edge of anger below was unmistakable.

"I can speak about them any way I wish." Unperturbed by Robin's anger, the witch sauntered down the few steps from the altar towards her and bent over to her ear. "And honestly," he continued quietly, "I don't even know why you love that seed." At her confusion, he explained. "Telepathy, remember? You are always the brightest beacon in the sea of thoughts." The man straightened. "In any case, I think your little trio will hurt you more than help." He nodded his head to the side, indicating something behind her.

Robin half-turned, then froze as she found her guardians at the rear of the chapel surrounded by more of the witch's thugs. Her eyes instantly sought out Amon, discovering he had already found her.

"They seemed rather easy to capture," the man commented.

Amon's eyes remained locked on Robin. "We weren't captured. We voluntarily came here."

She inhaled sharply. "But, why?"

"I am your guardian."

"Aww, how sweet," the witch interrupted, "but it really doesn't matter, since you three are going to die one way or another." He laughed, the empty sound echoing throughout the chapel. "You won't be much support to her when you're dead."

Amon's eyes angrily flew to the man. "I didn't catch your name," he icily inquired.

"Wilhem Kielburger, if you insist."

Turning, Amon faced the witch. "Kielburger, I guarantee that before this morning is over, you will be dead."

"Oh?" the witch raised an eyebrow. "Do you actually believe that you are capable of overcoming a witch with strong telepathic powers by yourself?"

"No," Amon replied flatly. "Robin will."

"You all have so much faith in each other. It's sickening."

"Even if you do manage somehow to take Robin," Amon continued on, "you will still have to contend with Solomon."

The witch stared dumbfounded, then suddenly tossed back his head, the sound of laughter flowing through the chapel. He wiped his eyes. "You're joking, right?" he asked. At the group's collective confusion, the witch laughed harder. "Oh my, my. Why Solomon has quite given up on obtaining the Arcanum. Some higher up in the organization convinced the elders that the girl had been killed in a building collapse." Robin's eyes widened at the news, suspecting who might have had the influence to do such a thing. "No one is looking for any of you." The witch resumed his laughter. "Have you really thought this whole time that Solomon was after you?"

"You're lying," Amon countered, the disbelief carved in his face.

"I'm afraid not. You should know as former hunters yourself, that you would be dead by now, if that's what Solomon truly wanted." His eyes drifted to indicate Robin. "Even with the Arcanum." He bent down to her. "Now that you know the truth, it's time for me to have some fun. Just so you know, your knight in shining armor will be the first to die," he whispered, his body so close his breath tickled her ear.

Robin's face shot up, turning white in her fear. Frantically, she scrambled towards the witch, only to be restrained by two men at her side. Her eyes widened, a scream freezing in her throat and she struggled in vain against the hands forcing her back. As the man reached into his coat, she squeezed her eyes shut, finding her voice.

"Amon!" she screamed, pulling against her restrainers, too panicked by the prospect of losing her guardian to even consider summoning fire.

It seemed as though the events that transpired occurred in slow motion to Robin's brain as she watched the man pull a sidearm hidden beneath his coat. With a perverse, sick smile, he took aim and cocked his weapon. Tears of helplessness streamed down her face as his finger tightened on the trigger, then fired. Her breath caught and she froze, watching in confusion as Touko tumbled limply to the ground. Surprised, Robin's eyes flicked to the witch, before returning to the fallen woman.

"Touko!" Amon cried, pushing the captors roughly out of his way to kneel down at her side. He picked her up, cradling her limp body in his arms. Touko gazed up into his face and slowly raised a hand to caress his cheek, smiling faintly – sadly. She moved as though to speak, then her lips froze, eyes glazing over and her hand fell away from Amon's face.

_There are just some times when what one wants most, isn't going to happen_, the newly dead woman's words echoed back to Robin. She felt her heart shatter as she watched the expression of grief and regret flow over Amon.

"Touko," Amon repeated, this time so gently it ground the discarded shards of Robin's heart further into dust, then pulled the lifeless body against his chest tightly.

From the front of the church, the witch began to laugh at the unfolding scene, an act from a twisted play in which he was the sole director and everyone else was merely a player. Horrified, Nagira shifted his gaze from his brother back to Robin. Her eyes were wide, reflecting his own feeling of shock. But there was something more – something dark, raw and unspeakable growing within her. In a moment, her face changed, rippling as it went from disbelief and shock to anger and hatred. She pivoted slowly on her heel to face the witch fully, her skin almost glowing from her internal, simmering heat.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone – that's why I came willingly," she whispered, frightening in her surreal serenity. The men at her side who had previously restrained her vanished in flames. "But, you hurt Amon by taking away someone he loves." Her eyes burned with a fierce intensity as hot tears began to run down her face.

"For that, I won't let you live," she cried, completely consumed in raw fury.

The witch's face barely registered surprise before he too simply disappeared as his men had in the moments earlier. His meager ashes had hardly floated to the ground, before she turned her fiery gaze towards the men surrounding Amon and Nagira. One by one, they quickly vanished in large orange flames, a burnt offering for one innocent lost. Furiously, she scanned the room looking for stragglers. From the corner of her eye, she saw two men rush from the side, handguns poised to take their shot. She spun to meet them head on, hair flowing out behind her as she turned, barely needing to take aim, then dispatching them easily.

"Robin!" Nagira yelled suddenly, his voice reverberating through the chapel. Amon jerked up his head at the sound, looking in horror in Robin's direction, Touko's body tumbling from his arms as he finally remembered his oath of protection to the one still living.

She didn't see the knife as the hard metal slid into her skin, ripping her vital organs as it passed through her body. Turning towards the one who had assaulted her, Robin gave one harsh glare before reducing the final man to ashes. Doubling over, she gasped and pulled the knife out with an anguished scream. She dropped to her hands and knees, staring in failed comprehension at the growing red puddle beneath her. Amon was at her side then, pulling her into his arms. For the first time, Robin saw true fear plainly written upon his face and her stomach turned.

Nagira approached the two, his face ashen from what he had witnessed. "I'm going to find someone to help us." Amon merely nodded, not bothering to look up, too entranced was he by his dying ward's face. Spinning on his heel, Nagira sprinted towards the front entrance. As he opened the door, his eyes widened in surprise.

"What the –"

Amon head rose in time to watch Nagira fall to the ground, bloodied from a barrage of bullets. "Nagira," he whispered, brows furrowing. Robin shuddered in his arms, bringing his attention back to her. He grasped her in his arms and dragged them both to the far side of the pews nearest to the wall. He could hear the sound of about ten pairs of feet clatter on the tile floor, coming towards them.

They were almost out of time.

"What the hell is going on here?" one of the men asked in dismay.

"We need to find whoever is responsible and kill them!" another shouted, his words muffled by the distance.

"I-I'm going to die," Robin stated flatly as she gazed up at Amon, a few tears slipping from her eyes. Before he could think of a way to respond, a worthless consolation of some sort, she continued. "I didn't think it would end like this," she said with a small rueful smile. "But, I know you never did believe it would work out, did you?" Her smile was quickly replaced with a look of fear as she began to cough harshly, bringing up blood to tinge her lips. "I don't want to die," she managed to choke out between spasms.

"Robin –" Amon began earnestly, wiping the blood away from her mouth gently with his thumb.

"It's alright, Amon," she smiled, "you don't have to say anything." She paused. "There was…was something I wondered if you could do for me, before I..." her voice trailed off.

"What is it?" he asked softly. He could hear the men moving steadily closer to their location.

"W-would you kiss me?" Seeing Amon's surprise, she hurried on. "I-I'm going to die and I've never been kissed," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I will never get to be w-with somebody and before I die, I just want to be kissed – by you. It must sound so juvenile, but –"

Robin didn't finish as Amon pressed his mouth firmly to hers, muffling the words still coming and tasting blood. She exhaled and murmured into him. It was too little, too late, but that mattered little to either of them at this point. He pulled back and looked into her surprised face, tears beginning to pour anew from her eyes.

"I love you, Amon," she whispered.

"Robin –"

"You need to leave," Robin said suddenly, eyes determined. "If you leave now, you have a chance of survival."

"No, Robin," he shook his head firmly. "There isn't any time."

"But you need to survive," she insisted. "At least help Nagira get out to –"

"Nagira is dead," Amon cut her off.

Her eyes widened, filling with pain. "He...is?"

"Yes."

"Wh-when?"

"Just a moment ago. The witch's reinforcements have come and that's why I can't escape."

"You still have to try –"

"I don't _want_ to, Robin. There's no point if everyone I care about is dead – if _you're_ dead." Amon stared at her, trying to convey the seriousness of his statement.

Robin looked back at him in disbelief, hopelessly unable to comprehend what he had just insinuated. "I can hold them off as long as I can," she whispered finally. "It would be my last gift to you, for all you gave me."

Amon grey eyes saddened. "That is your decision, but you are very weak now and I don't want you to strain yourself."

She smiled serenely and snuggled into his chest, her delicate face ashen. The clothes she wore had nearly become crimson, coated as they were with her blood. Robin's small body slowly relaxed as her life fully drained away, finally freed from the heavy and unfair burden of her destiny.

A shadow covered her face, then just as quickly, fled away. Confused, Amon lifted his head upwards. Directly overhead, a single light bulb blinked, growing dimmer every time it glowed back to life. As Amon stared at the fading light, he finally understood why the harbinger of a blinking bulb had followed them every where they traveled the past week. He clutched Robin's small body tightly to his chest and buried his face into her hair.

He didn't need to look behind him to know that two of the reinforcements had finally discovered their location. He didn't need to turn around to know that one of the men had aimed and cocked his sidearm at them. And he didn't need to look to know that in a few moments, a single bullet would pass from the gun's barrel through both of them, finally uniting their souls with death.

_For just a moment, when I was with you, I really did believe that everything would work out in the end. _

_Thank you, Robin._

_I love you._

Clink, clink.

Clink.

---

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Author's Notes:

The main question for myself is: how did my little one-shot turn into an 18,000+ word story? I'd hate to see what I'd end up with if I tried writing a short story…

Boy, oh boy, is this frightening. I didn't actually think that anyone would take interest in the story when I began writing it months ago. I admit that it's very difficult for me to write a story with an ending such as this. Truthfully, I had severe reservations about it when I first began to run through this story in my head. In fact, I even came up with an alternate ending where Amon manages to drag Robin from the chapel and get her to a hospital in time. However, I had wanted the challenge of writing a story in which Amon and/or Robin die; I just could never come up with anything decent. I happened to be daydreaming one day about possible Amon/Robin plotlines and had been toying around with the idea of the two meeting up with Touko and well, this just happened. I was working on several different stories at the time, but I just had to yank out the old laptop and start typing. I simply wrote the story as it needed to be told.

There is an element of something so cruel with this story that has been lacking in my other works. I don't like to think of the two dying or not ending up with each other and though some of my stories have many unfortunate events happen to the two (eh, not all of these have been published), it just wasn't on the same level as death. In truth, I was kind of tired of writing all the lemons with the happy endings (another will be out shortly, actually) and wanted a "challenge." Hopefully, this wasn't a too painfully horrible experience for everyone. I actually managed to unnerve my husband with the ending, so I feel I have done my job as an author. We always have arguments over movies/series where people die. I think the ending for Wolf's Rain is sad, for example, but he disagrees. So, I was quite content that he didn't like the ending. Twisted, I know.

And to be crystal clear, yes, they both die. So no asking for more chapters or anything.


End file.
